New breed of coffee mentors aim to increase Robusta production in Caraga As Mindanao holds the title of having the largest coffee production in the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in partnership with the High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) immersed 20 Caraga coffee farmers into a 3-day training conducted by the Philippine Coffee Advancement and Farm Enterprise Project (PhilCAFE) on August 4-6. Trained as coffee mentors, these farmers are expected to extend knowledge on Coffee Production, Farm Management, Integrated Pest and Disease Management, and Rejuvenation of Robusta to fellow farmers in Tungao, Butuan City, Cabadbaran City, and Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte; Bayugan City and Esperanza, Agusan del Sur. Caraga INFOCUS
Farmers were equipped with the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) of Robusta to increase the variety’s national production average from .5-MT/ha to 1-MT/ha, making the Philippines coffee-sufficient. In Caraga Region, around 4,740 were planted with Coffee.
of the topics including Coffee Establishment, Care, and Maintenance; Factors Influencing Coffee Yield and Quality; Site Preparation and Field Planting. “As the next trainers, you should be a model of the GAP. Farmers would not instantly believe in these new practices, so you should show them by actually doing it and making them see the benefits and improvement of applying GAP,” Ludovico said.
PhilCAFE Regional Coordinator Ludovico Ramirez Jr. highlighted that the training promotes site-specific practices which only endorse Robusta production as the ideal coffee variety in Aside from production, Caraga. He covered most Ludovico also
August 7-13, 2021 |
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